Mister Grumpy
by Skovko
Summary: Ever since Buddy moved into the neighborhood, he's been known as Mister Grumpy. A role he's become very comfortable in despite smiling in secret at one particular neighbor. When she needs help this morning with her ex coming back trying to steal her dog, Buddy finally lets down his guards and takes his chance.


Buddy heard her voice coming from the street. He smiled as he moved towards the kitchen window to take a look at the woman the voice belonged to. His neighbor from across the street. Valentina Apricot. A name that sounded like a porn star or a drag queen. She was neither though. Artistic parents, he assumed. She had a head full of blonde curls that were always out of control, and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen.

It wasn't as if he had spoken much with her. She tried though. A friendly chat or a smile and a wave when she saw him. He tried staying away from all his neighbors. He knew his nickname in the neighborhood was Mister Grumpy and he tended to keep it that way. However, he always found himself smiling when he saw her. That smile dropped quickly when he looked out the window.

He had seen that man before. Back in the days when he first moved in, that man was moving out of Valentina's home. It sounded like a bad breakup the way they fought. The douchebag, Seth Rollins, had come back several times trying to convince Valentina to continue their relationship. That was months ago. Now he was back and he was carrying her whippet in his arms. The poor dog struggled against him. Buddy strode fast towards the front door and almost tore it open with force.

"Seth, please!" Valentina's pleading voice sounded helpless. "You can't take him. He's my dog."  
"If you wanna see him again, you take me back," Seth said.

Buddy hadn't been too lucky in his last relationship either. He had been left just like Valentina had left Seth. But he knew better than to come around and force his way back like Seth was doing. Instead he had worked through his heartbreak on his own. He walked over to them and crossed his arms.

"Don't take her fucking dog," Buddy said.  
"What's it to you?" Seth asked.  
"Nothing really," Buddy shrugged. "But if you don't put her dog down right now, I'm gonna make it my problem. You can choose to leave with or without your teeth. Your choice."  
"Screw you!" Seth said.

Seth continued towards his car but he barely made it there before the dog was ripped out of his arms so fast that he couldn't react. Buddy put the poor dog down on the road and it immediately ran to Valentina.

"I warned you," Buddy sighed.

He grabbed Seth's neck and slammed his head down on the roof of his car. Seth whimpered in pain and looked up at Buddy with fear in his eyes and blood in his mouth.

"Let me see," Buddy grabbed Seth's jaw. "Looks like you still got all your teeth. I can change that very quickly. This is the last time you get to make the choice."  
"I'm sorry!" Seth cried. "I'll leave."  
"And never come back," Buddy said.  
"And never come back!" Seth cried.  
"Good boy. Now fuck off!" Buddy growled.

Buddy had never seen a man jump into a car that fast and drive away. He walked over to Valentina and looked at her first, then down at the dog, then back at her.

"If he's smart, he won't bother you again," he said.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"Yeah, whatever. I just came out at the right time. I hate having my mornings ruined like this," he said.  
"Why are you always this grumpy?" She asked.

There were so many things he could choose to say. So many lies that he already used before when other people had dared asking him. He looked in her bright blue eyes and couldn't lie. No matter how much he wanted to. Instead the words just started pouring out of him like a waterfall.

"My fiance left me," he said. "And I'm fucking over it. I really am. But for so long I was hurt and angry, and I found comfort in being this way because people stayed away from me. When they're not in my life, they can't hurt me. And then I moved in here, and I find myself fucking smiling everytime I see you. Do you have any idea how annoying that is? Like, there she goes again, this beautiful woman from across the street, and she makes you smile, Buddy. She fucking makes you smile even if you don't want to."

She didn't say anything but she started smiling. A wide, beautiful smile that made him crack a small one on his own.

"Let me take you out," he said.  
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you out as a thank you for saving Brainbuster?" She asked.  
"Brainbuster? See, even your dog's name makes me fucking smile," he said. "No, we'll both dress up fancy and go out to a way too expensive restaurant."  
"That's not really my thing," she said.  
"It's not my fucking thing either but we'll do it and we'll be fucking uncomfortable," he said.  
"Stop swearing," she said. "How about I make you dinner tonight instead?"

He smirked and took a step closer.

"Next time I say fuck will be in your bed," he said.  
"Too soon, Buddy," she said.  
"Second date at my place then," he said. "I'll have you saying fuck in no time."  
"Oh my fucking god!" She laughed.

His smirk grew wider. She wasn't one to be scared away by this weird and perverted talk. If anything, she looked amused and almost turned on. He hadn't been imagining things all those times she had smiled and waved at him or all those times she had tried to strike up a friendly conversation with him. She was interested in him and he had been Mister Grumpy for way too long.

"If you respond as fast to me in the bedroom as you do right now, you're gonna cum so many times since I tend to last up to 30 minutes," he said.  
"Jesus fucking christ!" She laughed even louder.  
"Just saying," he said.  
"Dinner tonight at 6. If you're late, you won't be let in. And if you don't shut up right now, you're on dessert duty," she said.  
"Darling, I am dessert," he said.  
"Still too soon, Buddy," she said.  
"Second date!" He said. "Because they'll be a second date. I fucking know it already."


End file.
